OUT OF THE PASTOR’S PEN

God introduced us to His Family because He foreknew that our earthly families would fall short. Right from the beginning, the first brothers fought despite God’s warning about sin until Cain killed Abel, and Cain was banished to wander the earth forever. Today’s headlines prove this story is still being repeated the world over!

God’s Family does not look like our earthly families. God’s Family is empowered by Holy Spirit to be unoffendable because Jesus was never offended by what the world said or did to Him. The evidence that we love the Lord is that we walk the earth as Jesus did, empowered to demonstrate the family love of the Father to everyone to whom He directs us.

It is easy to confuse our experience of our earthly families with our experience of God’s Family. Some people experience offenses so painful they have clenched teeth all the days of their lives—unless God empowers them to forgive. God has left you on the earth despite your experience of offense and pain for a reason that is far greater than what’s in your heart. He is pursuing you because He wants you to look like His Son.

Better to be a fool for Christ and love as He loved than to be wise in the world and not know the Father’s love. It may look foolish but we are called to walk right up to the obstacles in our lives and trust that God will do something new to make a way. Why? Because Jesus came to make a way, to retrieve that which was lost, and to remove every obstacle to receiving the Father’s love. Loving one another is a demonstration of the freedom we have in Christ. He sets us free indeed to be able to choose not to take offense. Loving one another without jealousy or offense is a sign of maturity in Christ.

God never intended it to be just you and Him. The natural extension of where God is calling you is “Family”—the Family of God. He wants to demonstrate His eternal mercies toward the world by using you and me to love one another without taking offense. It’s not possible in the flesh, but through Christ we can do all things because He strengthens us! Colossians 3:16-17 in the Passion Translation says this:

Let the word of Christ live in you richly, flooding you with all wisdom. Apply the Scriptures as you teach and instruct one another with the Psalms, and with festive praises,and with prophetic songs given to you spontaneously by the Spirit, so sing to God with all your hearts!

17 Let every activity of your lives and every word that comes from your lips be drenched with the beauty of our Lord Jesus, the Anointed One. And bring your constant praise to God the Father because of what Christ has done for you!

Four great Biblical truths comprise the cornerstones of our faith and hope:

God is good.

Jesus paid for everything on the Cross.

Every believer is significant in Christ.

Nothing is impossible for God.

God is good. The Bible says everything God made came out of His goodness (Genesis 1). Most Christians agree but many differ in the specifics of what God’s goodness looks like. Scripture affirms God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him (John 3:17). God is for us. He chose to redeem us from the penalty of our sin so we can be free to choose to follow Jesus and share in God’s goodness according to the measure of our faith. Faith is the substance and confidence in the good things God has promised us for which we hope based on the word of God (Hebrews 11:1).

Jesus paid for everything on the Cross.At Calvary Jesus won absolute victory! He drove out Satan, the prince of this world (John 12:31-33). The devil’s power was broken (Heb. 2:14). At the cross, Jesus disarmed powers and authorities (Colossians 2:15). After the Cross, Jesus was raised far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and God placed all things under His feet (Ephesians 1:21, 22). We are forgiven and freed from the enemy’s power of sin, sickness, lies, and torment. Now we live in Christ’s righteousness, truth, joy and peace! We are empowered to live our lives from a place of victory in Him.

Every believer is significant in the eyes of God. The Father paid the highest price, death of His Son on the Cross, for everyone willing to receive Him as their Redeemer. God sees us as His children alive in Christ. Every believer represents an aspect of God’s good nature that no other person in existence represents. In the entire company of humanity, you are uniquely fashioned and called. Your significance is beyond imagination (Ephesians 3:20). As we each become who we are born again to be in Christ, the whole Body of Christ grows and builds itself up in love (Ephesians 4:16).

Nothing is impossible for God. God alone lives apart from time and space, set apart from all worldly limitations. Jesus said “with God, all things are possible” (Matthew 19:26). The devil is not the opposite of God. The devil is the opposite of Michael, an archangel. The devil makes war against the things of God but it’s not a war between equals. Even the demons must bow when God shows up in His glory. But God wants the devil defeated by we who are made in God’s image. Abba Father is looking for an army of committed worshipers to defeat the devil continuously by choice, not obligation. That’s why we are called to make a place for God’s presence to dwell in our hearts and in our church. We are called to set our hearts to glorify God no matter the circumstances around us.

So take heart. Be encouraged. Secure the foundation of your faith on these four cornerstones and you will discover a spring of supernatural hope welling up from deep within you.

Note: I am indebted to a sermon by Bill Johnson from 8/18/2013 for the main points summarized above.

Hope is “the feeling that what is wanted can be had or that events will turn out for the best” (Dictionary.com). To hope for something is to desire it expectantly. The English word “hope” was originally based on the Biblical use of the word, specifically on “God or Christ as the basis for hope.” (Online Etymological Dictionary) In other words, hope was what we have when we believe Jesus. Old timers seemed to understand there is no other reliable feeling events will turn out best without Him.

I just read a blog about a high school senior who recently committed suicide just six days after he graduated. One of his teachers wrote that he really liked the student, who was very engaged in his class. The teacher had seen no visible signs that the young man was being overcome by depression and hopelessness.

In our culture today hopelessness prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. It crouches at the door of many hearts, and its desire is for anyone whose hope is not secure in Jesus. Last year two people who visited Reach Out committed suicide and we buried a neighbor’s son at the end of the year whose life had become engulfed in hopelessness.

Today I want to encourage you to establish your faith in Jesus stronger every day so you have hope enough for those who don’t. Our faith is meant to make us overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Let’s press in to Jesus until we chase away the prowling lion of darkness, depression and hopelessness and bring glistening hope to everyone we encounter.

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing

that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13

What does it take to turn a dead end into a runway to take flight as God intends for us? For God has made us more than conquerors through Him who love us! Romans 8:37

In the Bible, Joseph went from being his father’s favorite to being sold into slavery, accused of rape and thrown into prison. Yet he held to his faith and the dreams God gave him. God launched him so high Joseph spared Egypt from famine, saved his whole family, and passed on a covenant blessing to the next generation!

Moses was an adopted child with an anger problem who became a murderer. After forty years in exile he saw a flaming bush in the desert and God made him into the great prophet and leader of Israel. Through Moses we received the Commandments and the Tabernacle that foreshadow the coming of Messiah.

Ruth was widowed with nothing left in the land of Moab, but she chose to stay with her mother-in-law and accepted Naomi’s God as her God. After returning to Israel with Naomi, Ruth married Boaz, a wealthy man, with whom she had Jesse, King David’s father. Her decision to follow God made her part of Jesus’ earthly lineage.

As a lowly shepherd, David fought lions and bears while tending sheep until Samuel prophesied he was a king. Then he fought Goliath and formed an army of outcasts that forged the nation of Israel. King Saul rejected David, but in the end David reigned, wrote most of the psalms and prophesied more details about Jesus’ life than anyone else. God said King David’s line will last forever.

Esther was an orphan who ended up the wife of a king. God offered her the opportunity to step up and save her people from destruction. She risked her life to answer God’s call and fulfilled not only her personal destiny but the destiny of all Israel!

Every dead end is a runway in disguise when we live in faith in God. So what happens when we fly?

Joseph teaches us to hold onto the promises and dreams God gives us.

Moses teaches us to encounter God and follow His Words.

Ruth teaches us to not let our bloodline or past define our future.

David teaches us to build our relationship with God in the secret place.

Esther teaches us not to forget that we are chosen by God and have a destiny.

Jesus paid the price for our wings because His Father made us to fly! What gave you traction in the last season will keep you down in this one. Just let the breath of God lift you up, up, up on wings like eagles!

Thank you so much for your prayers and support during my trip to Greece. It truly was a life changing time. I am excited to share some of my Greek adventures with you and what God taught me! During my visit, I travelled to Athens, Corinth, Thessaloniki, Philippi and Lesvos with a small team from Burn 24-7 (www.burn24-7.com). It was amazing to see where Paul walked and to bless those there who are serving the refugees from the Middle East and Africa! So sit down with me by the Aegean Sea, open up your imaginary fresh feta, olive and pita sandwich and let’s get started…

I didn’t anticipate being able to see ancient Biblical cities on my trip, but once we landed, I realized how close everything was. We were able to visit Corinth, Athens, Thessaloniki and Philippi. The ancient city of Corinth is built on a terrace overlooking the turquoise waters of the gulf, and Its breathtaking ruins include a Greek temple and village. While we walked its paths, Emma read 1 Corinthians out loud and it hit me – this is the first place 1 Cor 13 was ever heard! Philippi was another small city and is the location of the first church plant in all of Europe! It was so powerful to see where Paul was imprisoned and the riverbank where Lydia was baptized. Thessaloniki was a larger modern city, and we were able to worship with a YWAM team ministering there. The highlight of my time in Athens was an extended worship time on Mars Hill!

During this trip I was reminded that the books we read in the Bible were actually written for specific groups of people. Of course we are called to read them today and apply His truth that never changes to our lives, but a long time ago, they were letters to communities. Ever wondered about that large portion in 1 Corinthians on sexual purity? After walking in Corinth’s ruins and reading what went on in the pagan temples, it was clear why Paul shared so much on that topic! God is still speaking. He is writing letters to each of our hearts to encourage and build us up! Spending time with God in His Word and listening to His voice is so important. It’s how we grow daily in His Spirit.

Another highlight of my trip was meeting so many beautiful people. The first week we were there, we met Sarah, a missionary from England. She had started a Gypsy school and pregnancy center in Athens. My team visited the school and worshiped with the children. What an amazing place where these kids could learn, build friendships and receive help. It was so powerful to play my violin and sing about God’s goodness with a community that has been rejected by so many. I will never forget those children and the hope we saw in their eyes!

The second week of my trip, we visited Lesbos, an island only 4.5 miles from Turkey. Lesbos has a Greek population of 86,000 but recently has received over half a million refugees! This has created a huge crisis. There is currently a refugee camp with over 8,000 people living there, but the camp was designed for under 2,000. Doctors, teachers, mothers, fathers, underage children travelling alone – all are waiting for the day when they can leave the shores of this little island and continue their journey across Europe.

One of my very favorite moments on my trip was visiting Home for All, a house run by a married couple who have given their lives to feed refugees. For months, the two of them made 2,000 meals a day in their kitchen! Now they have a house where they serve refugees from the camp by providing them with meals, giving them music lessons and handing out clothing when the weather turns cold. I truly felt as though I was sitting with Jesus when He manifested His miraculous provision in Matthew 25!

Bringing it home…

God spoke to my heart during my travels and opened my eyes to the crisis happening in Greece, but also to a crisis happening all over our world. The dictionary definition of refugee is: A person who flees for safety in a time of political upheaval or war. Every day we are surrounded by people who have never experienced home – who are looking for safety and peace. In John 14:23, Jesus says,

“Anyone who loves me will obey My teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them…”

If you had keys to endless rooms in a mansion and saw a homeless man, would you want to give him one of your keys? God is calling us to lay down our lives in His Love and reveal the home Christ has given us to share with others. Whether it looks like forgiveness, a kind act of service, praying for someone, giving an encouraging word or sharing the Gospel directly – it’s time to share the home we have in Christ. He is calling us to reach out in His love!

Prayer Points

Let’s take 5 minutes and pray for Greece – Refreshment and revelation of relationship with Jesus to the Greek Orthodox church. Salvation for the refugees. Abundant provision over all of Greece’s economy and Divine strategy for the government and the refugee crisis.

The power of Pentecost comes to us by grace—it is a pure gift of God. But to continue in that power calls for enthusiastic discipline that comes naturally to us over time through the love of the Father. Like two pedals on a bicycle that both must be pressed to balance a bike in motion, we need to rely both on God’s grace and His discipline to make our way through the ups and downs of life in balance and with confidence. Let me explain.

“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9.

Probably every born again Christian today has heard this famous verse. The next verse says: “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” When we’re born again, we know God has a better plan for our lives and He has some good work for us to step into. But after that first flush of new life in Christ, the world often seems to press in on us again and the destiny we so long for can begin to seem very elusive.

The missing element in many people’s walk with Christ is often discipline. Unless you’ve played sports, studied to get good grades, kept a clean house, built a successful business, or pursued a hobby with passion, you may not grasp the importance of discipline to fulfill your dreams. Discipline is what it takes to be good at something. Discipline is pleasurable when we keep our eyes on the goal set before us. In fact the idea of discipline as punishment only came later in the history of the word. From the beginning, discipline basically meant doing what it takes to learn something. A disciple is first and foremost a willing learner.

When Peter and John were arrested for teaching boldly about Jesus in the Temple, the elders and rulers noted that the uneducated apostles were ordinary people who “had been with Jesus.” They connected their boldness with their having been with Jesus. This is still true for us today. Your boldness and your success in living out your faith will in the end depend on how disciplined you allow yourself to become about being with Jesus.

Being with Jesus can be as basic as making your way to church to join others in worship and hear a sermon. Anyone with little children knows what an effort this seemingly simple discipline can take. That’s a form of discipline. But in the end there’s no substitute for the discipline of reading God’s word for yourself, and praying more. If you keep your eyes on the prize of doing the good works God has prepared for you to do—such as raising your kids successfully, providing for your family, and caring for others—you’ll find the daily discipline of “being with Jesus” is the most satisfying thing you can do in life.

We are always dependent on God’s grace, but discipline is the other pedal that keeps us moving forward to grasp the riches of His grace stored up for us right here and now.

This coming Sunday is Pentecost Sunday, which commemorates the very beginning of the church. On this day 2000 years ago, as recorded in Acts 2, the Holy Spirit descended on the disciples gathered in an upper room in Jerusalem, and they were filled with boldness and power. Spilling into the streets, they declared the praises of God in different languages so that Jews gathered there from many different nations could all understand in their native tongues what the disciples were saying. Peter addressed the crowd to explain both the extraordinary event that was happening and the meaning of Jesus’ recent death and resurrection that had taken place 50 days before. His talk was so compelling the crowd was “cut to the heart” and cried out: “What must we do?” (Acts 2:37)

“Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins,” was Peter’s reply. Acts 2:41 says 3,000 were added to their number that day. Thus, the Church of Jesus Christ was born.

The reason the disciples had gathered on that day was to celebrate the traditional feast of Pentecost, which dated back some 1200 years before to the time of Moses. To Jews then and now, Pentecost celebrates the giving of the Ten Commandments at Mt. Sinai, when according to Jewish tradition the nation of Israel was established because all the Jews who were gathered at the foot of the mountain agreed to do what God told them. (See Exodus 19:8 and Exodus 24:3.) The name “Pentecost” means “fiftieth” and refers to the fact that this feast day comes 50 days after the first Passover, when Israel fled Egypt as the Angel of Death passed over them.

The parallels between what happened on the first Pentecost at Mt. Sinai and the second Pentecost in Jerusalem are very striking and reveal the perfection of God’s plan for the world’s redemption. On the first Pentecost God showed up with loud thunder, smoke and lighting. On the second Pentecost God’s Spirit showed up with a loud sound of rushing wind and tongues of fire. At the first Pentecost, God came over the Mountain to reveal His Covenant with Israel. He gave the Commandments as His “marriage contract” outlining Israel’s obligation for fulfilling their covenantal relationship with God. At the second Pentecost, Peter revealed that Jesus was Israel’s long-awaited Messiah and gave instructions for how people were to fulfill God’s New Covenant based on God’s love and grace. The Bride of Christ arose for the first time in Acts 2, a process that continues to this day as new believers are added to God’s church every day.

Remarkably, 3000 people were added to the first church following Peter’s exhortation on the second Pentecost, which perfectly parallels the 3000 people who were slain on the first Pentecost after they had worshiped the Golden Calf.

Did you know that today in our time some 174,000 new believers are added to the church every single day? (Click here for details.) In addition, 3500 new churches are begun every week! The power of Pentecost continues unabated in our time ever since the church began in 30 AD.

Jesus said He didn’t come to abolish the Law of Moses but to fulfill it. (Matthew 5:17) Not only was He the perfect Lamb of God who was slain to redeem us from our sins, but He released the Spirit of God at Pentecost to sweep the nations of the world off their feet and impart the ability to enter the Kingdom of God. That’s something well worth celebrating!

God shows us some amazing things about ourselves through moms! A few things all moms can teach us:

New life comes through an expectation and sacrifice,

Unity and commitment birth new realities,

New reality and vision must be carried to maturity.

Nothing is as clear as day as a mother expecting! What’s the one question you’re not supposed to ask any woman? Are you pregnant!? But did you know that you are expecting? Yes, I mean you! And I guarantee you’re showing it whether you know it or not.

Imagine if Noah had let his environment determine his reality. God directed Noah to build a boat to save his family from the coming flood. If Noah had let his expectations be based on his worldly circumstances, he never would have built the ark and humanity would have been lost. Instead, Noah’s based his expectations on God’s Word and goodness. We are invited to do the same. God doesn’t want us to abort His dreams for our life just because we don’t see how it’s relevant or possible in our current season. We are called to live out “Christ in us” to full term.

Matthew 17:20 says, I tell you the truth, if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it would move. Nothing would be impossible.

God loves to affirm the mystery of motherhood. All it takes is one tiny seed planted in unwavering expectation of faith and love, and anything is possible! Expectations are meant to grow to maturity through relationship. That’s why God ordained man and women to come together in covenant to have children. God’s design is to give us hopes, expectations, and purpose to fulfill through intimacy and relationship with Him. We were never meant to single parent our lives apart from our Heavenly Father!

The One God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all (Ephesians 4:6) sent His Son to nurture what He plants in your hearts. Keep your eyes on Jesus and you’ll carry the dreams He gives you to full term. Happy Mother’s Day.

Declare today:

I am not a single parent to the dreams or desires God has placed inside of me.

I am not a single parent to His love, grace, patience growing in me.

I am valued and have a destiny in Christ full of peace, blessing and abundance.

Daily, I partner with Father God to see His Kingdom come into my life and world as it is in heaven.

I am certain that God who began the good work within you, will continue His work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns. Phil 1:6

Sunday the daffodils in front of the church glistened brightly in the flurry of the late April snowfall. It’s always encouraging to see the beauty of spring burst forth out of winter. Isn’t it amazing that snow can’t hold back the glory of delicate daffodils?

It seemed fitting that my topic on Sunday focused on coming to church with expectations that God will show up and do something fresh in our lives, kind of like daffodils breaking through untimely snow and cold. While prepping for my sermon, I reread the healing miracles of Jesus, especially those described in the Synoptic Gospels—Matthew, Mark and Luke. Jesus healed all who came to him (Matthew 15:30), but did you know Jesus never corrected someone about their sin until after He healed them? He always addressed their need for healing first.

His healing miracles reveal His authority and power to release God’s will to transform human suffering into health, wholeness and hope. They demonstrate Jesus’ mastery over disease, demons and death itself. They also speak to the supernatural foundation of our faith.

Hebrews 11:1 says: “Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see.” Verse 3 continues: “By faith we understand the entire universe was formed at God’s command, that what we now see did not come from anything that can be seen.”

During my talk Sunday I riffed a little on insights that have come to light from quantum physics that challenge conventional wisdom about matter and energy. Some science-minded Christians are seeing amazing parallels between dramatic insights from quantum physics and the miracles of Jesus that have long defied what science believed was possible. In particular scientists have discovered that what they observe is affected by how they observe it, and that behaviors at miniscule sub-atomic levels reveal an interconnectedness between matter and energy that is not dependent on time and space.

Some scientists still insist there must be a mysterious “God particle”, as if God can be reduced to an impersonal substance of force. They simply can’t recognize the God of Scripture who imparts intelligence, love and connectedness throughout the universe. Colossians 1:15-17 puts it this way:

The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible…all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.

We know from experience and countless testimonies that God is neither a mere particle, though He has a tangible presence, nor mere energy, though He moves with power and force. God is alive. He is the designer, creator and imparter of purpose to everything that exists, including us. And He wants us to know and connect with Him to experience the fulness of His blessings and love.

God wants to communicate and heal. Come next Sunday expecting it for yourself and others! By then the daffodils will be in full swing.

Our lives are a series of testimonies. Each circumstance and situation we encounter is a testimony in progress. As we allow God access to our hearts and experiences and we yield to the work He began in us, He will shape our testimony through the process.

Philippians 1:6 TPT

…the One who began this glorious work in you will faithfully continue the process of maturing you and will put his finishing touches to it until the unveiling of our Lord Jesus Christ!

Jesus’ T.I.P.

A Coronation, A Cross and A Stone

Jesus rode into Jerusalem as a king. He entered unlike other kings… kings rode horses as a show of power. Jesus rode a donkey as a sign of humility and peace. The people were compelled to celebrate his “Triumphal Entry”. They threw down their cloaks and placed branches on the path to prepare the way for him.

Jesus’ coronation culminated on the cross. After being beaten, stripped to his undergarments, spat on and mocked, the guards placed a red cape on his shoulders and crowned him with a crown of thorns, and hung him on a cross.

He was sinless….. righteous before God. He did not deserve that moment in history, but he understood the testimony unfolding before mankind was God’s plan.

By choice he took on all sin, for all people, for all time.

He “became sin”.

He did this that his testimony might be fulfilled.

21 For God made the only one who did not know sin to become sin for us, so that we who did not know righteousness might become the righteousness of God through our union with him. 2 Cor. 5:21 TPT

The testimony of the coronation and the cross is powerful, but the story was not complete without the stone.

After three days, Mary Magdalene, Joanna, and Mary, mother or Jesus went to Jesus’ tomb. As they arrived they found the stone that sealed his tomb rolled away. The tomb was empty. The women were confused, perplexed and stunned by what they found. Suddenly angels appeared before them and said:

“Why would you look for the Living One in a tomb? He is not here, for he has risen!” Luke 24:5 – 7 TPT

At that moment the revelation of the fulfillment of Jesus’ testimony broke upon the women.They shared this with the disciples who could not comprehend the Truth. The surrounding circumstances spoke louder to them and clouded the testimony in progress.

The Truth:

He was resurrected…… He had died but was alive again!

Death and sin did not have the victory!

The very thing He said would happen, Happened!

But the disciples could not see this Truth, yet.

They were so caught up in the circumstantial evidence that when they encountered him on the road to Emmaus they did not recognize him. Even when Jesus stood with them they couldn’t “see” him until he did something familiar. Something they had seen him do many times before. Suddenly their eyes and hearts opened and they saw Him. They had been looking for the familiar when God was doing something NEW.

They saw the TRUTH of His testimony playing out in front of them.

At that point the power of the coronation, the cross and the stone exploded into Life!

All the things Jesus had taught them…..

All the life He shared with them, pushed all the negative “facts” of the circumstances out of the way…….

Their personal stones, which blocked true belief and faith, were finally rolled away.

Hope broke open and faith for what God would do in them, around them and through them exploded in their hearts, minds and spirits.

An atmosphere of Truth and Life were released. The bar of belief, hope, faith and truth was raised.

The impossible was revealed and realized as possible.

In our personal lives, the circumstances we face in life are T.I.P.s or Testimonies in Progress.

We may be weighed down or distracted by the negative “facts” of those circumstances. There may be a haze or fog that attempts to settle in on us, to keep us from seeing God in the midst of our experience. Things may have turned out contrary to what we had hope or faith for.

As we live these “testimonies in progress”, it is our job and our challenge to rise above the circumstances and situations, the negative “facts” and long waiting periods. To look up to Him and see from His perspective. It is also our job and challenge to choose Life and not death, hope and not doubt, love and not fear.

We get to choose to:

Believe what God says.

Give ourselves grace for when we struggle with doubt.

Go after Him with everything in us….. heart, soul and mind.

Believe God is a good Father who wants good for His kids.

Believe that God is in the process with us.

Remember our story, which His story of our lives, is not complete yet.

May God bless each of us to hold on to Him in the process and to have the grace to live out His testimony in our lives.